Spanning Dimensions
by ryuufubuki
Summary: "Does the walker chose the path, or the path the walker?" Garth Nix. The United World and Avengers continue on their conquest to prevent the invasion of the second players. However, doubts begin to form within the group as all is not as it may seem, and one hero begins to wonder if this path is one they should be taking. Sequel to United World.
1. Chapter 1: A Monster From Another World

Hello, and welcome to the sequel of United World. This story should span at least two arcs like United World did as the heroes get to know each other and stop the invasion of the second players. Hopefully the pace will start picking up a bit more, although this first chapter is slightly dull as a summary of the events of the past couple weeks. I still do not own Hetalia or any part of the Marvel Universe, but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same. Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think!

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **The Monster from Another World**

* * *

Arthur Kirkland reflected on the past three months with a sense of fulfillment as he whittled away at a cup of English Breakfast tea. He had been the first to wake up, savoring the quiet view of the rising sun on Chiara's patio. The sleeping group of coworkers were still exhausted from yesterday and only Arthur had recovered from his injuries.

Of course, you may ask, injuries from what?

To the public, Arthur was better known as _Spectrum_ , the leader of the superhero team United World, who had been working with the Avengers. Together they were working to stop a criminal organization from a parallel universe.

United World had once been the oblivious pawns of their second players' schemes, fighting against super villains who stood in their way. Once the second players began their invasion, UW had split, shattered by the supposed death of Chun-Yan. Three months ago, Director Nicholas Fury of SHIELD had brought the retired heroes back into the fray.

From there, United World had met with the Avengers, reluctantly joining the combined team for the purpose of revenging their fallen comrade. When the forces of _Black Skull_ began to attack three major cities, the two teams had intermingled, forming three teams in order to aid the ongoing disasters. Arthur's team had handled their situation with minimal effort, yet, it was also discovered at that point that Chun-Yan had not died, but that her body was being used as a host to her second player.

The situation had escalated when the third group had encountered Antonio Carriedo and Francis Bonnefoy, the two agents accompanying United World in their efforts to prevent evil from spreading world wide. The resulting skirmish had brought out the only second player on UW's side, Zamora, who explained the plans of the second players.

That night, the Avengers had met with the _Puppet Master_ , Arthur's second player, who seized control over the group and captured the still MIA Director Fury. The next morning, Chiara and Liv, otherwise known as _Rome_ and the _Mage_ , were ambushed by the Avengers, using Liv's mythical friend to summon the aid of the rest of the team. Once United World had fended off the Avengers and returned them to their formal selves, another shocking development took place.

Chun-Yan was able to momentarily break away from _Black Skull's_ control, freeing Francis and Toni. Although the undercover agent duo was freed, there was still no way to escape _Black Skull's_ mind control. While the heroes tried to crack the code, they received a visit from Chiara's sister, the famous movie star Feliciana Varges. The siblings attended a dinner with their grandfather, one of the biggest mafia bosses still alive whose only intent is to get Chiara to take over the mafia. The Avengers and United World followed along, and were able to prompt the Italian to breaking away from her grandfather's control. At least as far as they know.

Meanwhile, Madeline and Natasha, aka _Bolt_ and the Black _Widow_ , devised a plan to put an end to _Black Skull's_ influence on Toni and Francis just in time for Christmas. After reclaiming the mind of their friends, Liv was attacked by _Black Skull's_ henchmen on the way home from school, attempting to kidnap her and the rest of the Nordic five to experiment on their powers. Luckily, yours truly and Ivan, or _Blizzard King_ arrived in the nick of time to save the group of teens.

Together, the heroes decided they would need another member of their team with a crucial array of powers if they wanted to stop the second players. Thor and Liv went off to Asgard, where the younger mortal was able to win Loki's loyalty and convince him to join the team. Once Christmas had passed by, United World hosted a press conference, to reveal their presence after a video of them fighting the Avengers appeared. With their newly gained popularity, the heroes headed forwards and encountered the _Crime Lord_ , Ivan's second player.

The two teams split into partners in order to search the city for Fury's location and hopefully rescue the missing SHIELD director when Ivan and Gwen were separated. The latter was kidnapped by the _Crime Lord_ and forced to believe her friends had abandoned her. While Zamora attempted to save her first player from the hands of Nikoli, it was only Arthur's arrival that saved Gwen and vanquished the villain.

Or so UW had thought.

Tony Stark, or _Iron Man_ , gained the temporary ability to see magical creatures after ridiculing Arthur's tendency to talk to his friends. The joyful mood of the two teams had been decimated when _Nightshade_ , the _Crime Lord's_ right hand man, had locked UW into their darkest memories. After reliving their darkest times repetitively, the Avengers had come to the rescue, helping their fellow heroes move on.

However, during this time, the _Crime Lord_ and _Nightshade_ had moved the heroes into a warehouse in order to take them back to the second dimension as trophies before destroying the rest of the second players. By using stealth and strategy, Madeline, Francis, Toni and Clint were able to free their teammates.

"Beautiful sunrise," a voice remarked, snapping the immortal hero from his reminiscing. Gwen sat down on the bench beside Arthur, holding a glass. "Beer? This early, love?" he inquired, frowning in disapproval. "You have tea, and the others have coffee to help them wake up. I have beer," the albino beauty responded with a cheeky grin, "So what are you doing up so early? Not even the Captain is awake yet."

"Thinking about the past three months and our next move. Despite how long we've been fighting them, I still can't predict their next move. I'm worried that they'll catch us off guard."

"So, what are the results of your planning then, fearless leader?"

"I will have to check in with the team first, but I think we should go after Chun-Yan next. Then look for the machine Nikoli had so we can bring the fight to them. Our powers could cause so much damage to this world. If we go to their dimension, we can try to gain allies and help people."

"I'm up for whatever you think is best, Arthur. Your leadership has never led us astray before."

Except, it had.

But for right now, Arthur wanted to forget about all the damage he'd done by not listening to the others. He didn't want to think about the criminals from another world invading, or the injuries of his teammates, or what those monsters would do if they ever got their hands on one of the heroes.

This world too was filled with monsters, and it seemed that Arthur was just like the rest of the world.

But at least he wasn't alone.


	2. Chapter 2: Mirror Trouble

Hello everyone! I sure hope you enjoyed the first chapter I am finally ready to release chapter 2. Sorry about the wait, I've been having a lot of personal troubles recently with my family since I'm going to college this fall so I've been going on a lot of retreats without internet, although I've been typing a bit on a book I want to publish eventually (if I ever finish it). Going back through UW I want to rewrite it before I advance with this one anymore but because of my lack of internet I have plenty of time to do it. Anyway, I don't own Avengers or Hetalia but all the same, please enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**  
 **Mirror Trouble**

* * *

It was hard to look at himself in the mirror. When faced with your reflection, you saw each truth about your body, the emotion in your eyes, each human flaw. At least that was what Francis saw when he looked into the mirror.

During his first few months under _Black Skull_ he had all completely forgotten about his looks, the very precise thing that made him Francis. He had contemplated ways to kill, steal, torture, and deceive, but never once had he looked at himself and found something he wanted to change.

Since his escape he had avoided looking at mirrors, or any other reflective surface. He had still had the awareness during his time under _Black Skull_ to keep himself clean shaven, but shaving required a mirror, so it was only now that Francis had summed up enough courage to stare into the mirror.

Upon reaching the bathroom, armed with a newly bought razor and shaving cream, he hesitated a moment more before looking at his reflection. Francis ran his hand through his hair, alarmed by it's length. After a quick fumble for scissors, he succeeded in cutting away most of it and snatched a nearby white hair thing, putting the top layer of his hair in a ponytail, sighing in relief at the slight return to his previous state of appearance. Finally he began shaving, avoiding meeting his own eyes in the mirror, and missing the moment their color changed.

* * *

In the world of actors and actresses, appearances were everything. While Feli was famous for her natural beauty, it still took a lot of work to maintain her beauty. Everyday, Ludwig would wake her up and the two would run a number of laps around the indoor track in Feli's complex. They would cool down with a couple of core exercises before returning to their room for a shower and breakfast before looking at the day's schedule.

Their routine had been years in the making, before Ludwig had been assigned as Feli's bodyguard by Nonno the Italian movie star had taken to constantly dieting to an unhealthy extent. When Ludwig had reentered her life as her lover, her decaying health and acting skills had recovered. Few in the world of the media actually knew about her relationship with Ludwig, but it was speculated among many fans that she was dating someone.

Rushing to finish getting ready and join Ludwig for breakfast, Feliciana missed the second her rich toffee eyes flashed red.

* * *

Chun-Yan was overjoyed to hear of the _Crime Lord'_ s defeat. Her dysfunctional team had once more combined to produce one united team. That was where their name came from after all. In the beginning they lacked the teamwork necessary to succeed, only Arthur had control of his powers, but he was mentally unstable for some time. It hadn't been until Chiara joined that the team actually began to start working together.

They had bloomed into shield's brilliant creation of a bundle of unstable teenagers and an immortal Brit who were unable to handle their personal lives, given humanity as a burden they should bear for their powers. Yet, after they began to work together, it hadn't taken long for them to feel like a family. Chun-Yan had hoped that feeling would bond them together through the rest of their lives, pushing each member closer to Ivan and Kiki, Alfred and Arthur, Madeline and Gwen, Toni and Francis, Chiara and herself. Faith found a home within each member, for the first time in her life Chun-Yan felt like she truly belonged somewhere.

 _Black Skull_ had murdered that feeling.

The influence of her second player counterpart began as small suggestions. Perhaps the others didn't actually like her, but were too nice to say anything. Perhaps Ivan didn't actually love her, but was after the small fortune promised to her by the Honda family. Perhaps Kiki didn't view her as her sister, but hated her presence. These suggestions, and many more, were nurtured into full blown fears, feeding _Black Skull_. During this time Chun-Yan hadn't dared tell a single soul about her doubts, even once Ivan proposed to her, keeping them locked away allowed Chun-Yan to forget about them, to lose faith that these fears were true. Still, she couldn't tell the others for fear of her thoughts being confirmed.

The gap between her and the rest of the team steadily grew, seeming to span dimensions, as she began to avoid going on team missions, taking solo jobs from Fury instead. That was when the next sign started. Despite living together with Ivan, they were never home at the same time, their jobs conflicting. When she first began to faint, Chun-Yan thought, feared, she was pregnant with a child Ivan would want no part in raising due to his lack of love for her. After a week of fainting she cracked down and bought a test, it seemed like a miracle when it turned out negative.

Still the fainting continued.

There were times when she would wake up in strange places as well, no longer in her home, and Ivan, on the rare occasion they would see each other, told her of the new enemy United World faced. Encounters with _Black Skull_ seemed to wear him out, and when Ivan once stumbled home soaked in blood and rain water, he begged Chun-Yan to join team missions once more, at least until they had defeated this new threat. She hadn't been able to do that until Kiki was kidnapped.

When Mr. Honda had heard the news, Chun-Yan was scolded for not sticking with her adopted sister to prevent such an incident. She had been raised as her sister's keeper, it was her duty in make sure Kiki remained safe in the midst of all the hero stunts she pulled. It should have been Chun-Yan who had been kidnapped by this new nefarious villain for her lack of duty.

That had been the final straw that pushed Chun-Yan into the hands of _Black Skull_ , she had attacked the base of the villain by herself. Reckless and furious, she had pushed her powers and body to the limit by the time the others had arrived.

She knew that she should have told the team what was happening now. The doubts that had been raised in her mind. Or the suspicious whereabouts she would wake up to. She had promised herself that once Kiki was rescued, she would tell them everything. But that had never happened.

Now there was no escape from _Black Skull_ , the only thing she could do was dwell in the backs of her own mind, testing for weaknesses. And catching the few moments in the mirror in her room when her eyes were no longer a dark red, but had returned to the rich toffee they once were.

* * *

Alfred was a rather...enthusiastic character. There were very few who could stand spending more than a few hours with him before getting frustrated. Which is why training with _Captain America_ was such a fantastic routine. Whenever Alfred got too off topic, there was always a common interest they could return to.  
But after the recent fight, Steve Rodgers had watched his fellow American's self confidence all but disappear as he began training non stop. The kid was already powerful, but throwing himself into individual training he was doing nothing but exhausting himself. There was no way up for Alfred alone, he needed to learn to work with his team more than anything. So it was not surprising when the young man broke his fourth punching bag since _Captain America_ had entered the training floor of Avengers Tower an hour ago.

Not to mention, it probably didn't help that the younger was still recovering from his injuries he obtained from the fight with Nikoli. It didn't help that they would be headed for another battle soon. Francis and Toni had revealed the location of _Black Skull'_ s base and Arthur had told the group his plan to invade the base and get Chun-Yan out. Therefore getting rid of the threat the second players presented in the first universe so they could take the battle to them. Hopefully they would also be able to rescue Fury, gaining Shield's backing once more in defending the world while they were away.

"Alfred, perhaps you should take a break," Steve suggested. The teen punched poor bag he'd hung up to replace his last, turning to the Captain with a frown. "No can do, Captain. We've found out where Black Skull is hiding. I gotta stay on top of my game," Alfred replied, "Oh, I've been dying to ask, sir: Would you like to spar?"

"Look son, I think you've been training too hard. You should really consider taking a break, or else you'll exhaust yourself. I don't want to have you stay behind," Steve explained. He was astonished by the glare he received from the young man as, with a particularly powerful punch, he knocked the punching bag from it's hook. "I can't stay behind, sir! My team needs me on this! We can't lose to Black Skull again. What if we lose someone again? What if something happens to my team because I'm not strong enough!"

To punctuate his phrase, Alfred had slammed his fist into the steel training room wall, creating a nice sized dent in the room that had been built to resist damage no matter the backlash of the powers used. A twinge of fear shot it's way through Steve's very bones at the display of the boy's strength. Alfred's powers were great, but the teenager still lacked the control Steve had. That made him more dangerous.

"You aren't alone, son. Your team is strong, but if you want to help them you need to be in your best shape. If you keep exhausting yourself you won't be any help to them," Steve murmured, easing closer to his fellow American. "God's sake, I know," Alfred replied softly, his voice cracking, "God I know. But I can't lose them again. I can't lose Kiki, or Maddie, or Artie, or Gwen, or Liv, or Chi or even Ivan. I can't lose one of them again, not like how we lost Chun-Yan."

"I just can't."

* * *

"What's on your mind, Artie? Ain't getting cold feet are you?" Tony teased, pulling up a chair as the bar beside Arthur who was sipping a glass of ice water. Arthur rolled his eyes in annoyance at the nickname, Stark had undoubtedly been hanging around Alfred way too much. "Just thinking about the past. After all the last time we rushed into _Black Skull's_ lair we didn't all come out, nor did we all stay together. I wonder if things would have been different if Alfred had beat me."

"Beat you?" Tony asked, tilting his head in confusion as he poured himself a shot glass of whisky. "Yeah. When Alfred first joined the team he was an egotistical, young bastard. He couldn't take the fact that he wasn't the leader of the team. How could I let the kid lead a team of superheros. He'd take everything that went wrong as his personal failure, he does that now anyway. But this little kid we had just broken out of a lab would not stop pestering me about joining United World. And once he was in, before we even had a costume design for him, that brat challenged me to a fight and the winner would lead the team."

Tony laughed, "I didn't think the kid was so ballsy. This is before he got control of his powers, right?" "Yeah, but he didn't exactly take no for an answer, so I finally said yes. The fight was over as soon as it started. I came out on top with barely a scratch and Alfred spent the next three days in the medical ward of our base. Even after that he didn't learn his lesson, the first thing the kid did when he got out of there was challenge me to another fight."

"It went on like that for nearly three months and I finally asked him why he wanted to become leader of the team so bad. What made him think that he could lead this team. He told me it was because he hasn't given up yet."

"Given up? I don't understand," Tony inquired, obviously puzzled. Arthur sighed, smiling sadly, "Surely you've seen him in action. He fights so hard, because he hasn't given up on the villains. He hasn't given up on the people he's trying to save. He hasn't given up on us, because he knows that as soon as we limit ourselves that is when we start failing. As soon as we give up on each other, there is no longer any chance that we can win."

"And he was right. We only lost to _Black Skull_ after we thought Chun-Yan had died. We only lost because we gave up. That's not a mistake that I'm going to let my team make again."

* * *

"Sir, they are on their way as we speak," _Crow_ , well rather the previously useless prisoner he'd been possessing, announced. "Good, our plan is progressing as planned. The forces of the Avengers and United World are a greater threat than we first anticipated, but they will not defeat us," _Black Skull_ replied, rubbing his host's head. Chun-Yan had been fighting harder for control with the reemergence of United World. If she kept doing this, _Black Skull_ wasn't sure how much longer he could hang on, United World would have to face their defeat soon, that would take the fight out of Chun-Yan.

 _Do you hear me in there, Chun-Yan? Your precious friends will die._

"But sir, when the Crime Lord underestimated them, they defeated him. Shouldn't we get help from one of the others?" _Crow_ asked, fidgeting with the eye patch strap. "Don't you dare compare us to that failure. The Master is analyzing our fight against United World to watch strategist, it is our duty to fight them alone. If we cannot destroy them, _Puppet Master_ and _Meltdown_ will be the next to challenge United World."

"I will prepare the others then. We will hold them back during their little challenge." "All of them but _Blizzard King_. I want to feel her defeat when I kill him with her own powers."


End file.
